Grille and fender guard for automobiles



Feb-13, 1940. M, HANS 7 2,190,328 '1 GRILLE AND FENDER GUARD FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed July 25, 1958 .Patented I 'eb. 13,"19.4 0. I 7 1 i v v UNITED] STATES PATENT ()FFICE f 2,190,328 1 GRILLE AND FENDER GUARD FOR Auro- H MOBILES,

Martin "Hans, sewn, in. 7 Application July 25, 1938, Serial No. 221,257 6 Claims. (01. 293-55) I This invention is directed to new and useful Fig. 8 is an enlarged horizontal section taken improvements in grille and fender guards for on line 8-.3 of Fig. 4 and showing a' plan view automobiles and has. particular reference to of one of the retainers and the opening therein guard structures adapted to be securely and adto by-pass the abutments of the. guard;

5.1 justably mounted on the front bumper of an Fig. 9 is an elevational View of the guard and automobile for purposes of protecting the radithe upper one of theretainers in cross-section in ator grille and. fenders. H retaining position or engagement with a stop or Due to the existing variations in the distance up t po tio of e guard, and i or height of the automobile bumpers above the. i 10 is a e t o through a bumper 1;); ground damages often result to the automobile showing a modified f m y invention D I wheel fenders or-radiator grille guard when two Referrin particularly to Figs- 4, fi t0 9 automobiles collide.- It is therefore an object inclusive, the partial front elevation of anautoof my inventionto providenovel fender andgrille il s i d d by H and the front 6 guards. which can be readily attachedto the 'auy The Wheel fender and radiator i tomobile bumper without the necessity of drilling uard s generally indicated by holes in the bumper and which guards are of a The u 14 sOhsists Of a a y. disposed substantially sturdy construction to withstand bar rod of preferably YOU-11d cross-Section, the usual normal shocks and provided with simpreferably formed With neck 0f decreased. ple effective securing means, v ameter M, and the spherical head 14 at its up- Another object'of my invention resides in the p n he lower e d is eaded as a 1 o 20 provision ofguards of ,this character of simplireceive the tighten g or securing nut M ,As

fied constructionand a minimum of necessary l y shown in Figs. 5 and 9 the guard parts. rods M are adapted to be secured to the bumper Withthe above and other objects in view which 13 in suita y spa positions thereto to extend Will become readily apparent fromthe perusal of above the bumper fo the Du p of protecting 26 h llowihs.sp cification and attached drawing, the Wheel fenders as 'well asthe radiator grille. mxinvention Consists m the novel b ti It will also be noted that the vertical guards -14 construction and arrangement of the parts d are positioned on the. rear. or inside face of the 7 members shown in preferred, embodiment in the bumper and rigidly secured to t bumper y 39 attached drawing described "in the following means of a pair of retainers 15 of lilie design 30 specification and particu a y pointed out inthe and cross-section but reversedly or oppositely ppended claims. i disposed one to the other to thereby constitute In the drawing: rigid retainers positioned one on the upper edge Fig. l is a front elevation of an automobile 0f t e pe and e Other 0n lower sho n my improved wheel fender and radied e f th bump 35 v 4 1? grillev guards; I l Each of the guard retainers consists ofa short Fig. 2 is. a front elevation of an automobile flat bar bent to provide a central horizontal porsimilar to thatshown in Fig; 1, o twith e, m dition IS having a perforation I5 a substa'n fied radiatjorgrille guard; tially vertically bent end portion 15 and an in- 40 3 1 m, elevation f a p ti 1 clined end portion 15 bent angularly to the ver bumper shpwingja. modified design for the raditicalcenter line of the guard l4.

ator grille guard; Since many of the bumpers I3 now used are of Fig, 4 is an enlarged cross-section of the arcuatecross section as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 9, bumper taken on li ne' 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing an the guard retainers l5 are therefore provided 5 arcuate bumper member and elevation of one of with the inclined ends 15D engagement emyimproved guards; i between of such arcuate bumpers; if, however, the

Fig. 5 is a vertical'section taken on line 5 -5 gu s are to be mounted on a bumper of subof Fig. 3; y v Y stantially rectangular cross-section, the guard re F'igT'G i vertical eeti n t k n lin 6 5 tainers 15 are preferably reversedly positioned .5 of Fig. 2 showing a cross-section ofa rectangu el i ly to the bump so as to engage such lar bumperand my improved guard; bumperbetween thevertically disposed ends l5 Fig. 7 is anienlarged horizontal section taken 7 as QW in on line '|1-oi Fig. 4 showing inplan view one Each guard rod I4 is provided with suitably oi theretainersand the upset abutments. on they spaced abutments M to accommodate its atv guard I taclnnent to bumpers of varying widths. One 55 or several of such abutments M may be spaced vertically of the rod It. I have preferred to show pairs of laterally aligned vertically spaced pressed-out deformations M which constitute the spaced abutments for retainment of the upper retainer i5 whenthe lower retainer i5 is secured into retaining position by the nut M which functions as an abutment at the lower end of the guard It. It is readily apparent that when the guard I4 is mounted on the bumper I3, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9, the upper retainer IE will be positively held against movement relatively to the guard rod M by one of the abutments I lformed integrally with or on the guard rod l4 and which abutment HE is fixed as to movement relatively to the guard rod It. The lower retainer I5 being free to move up and down on the guard rod M is adapted to be moved against the lower edge of the bumper by the tightening movement of the abutment nut M It is now readily apparent that theguard M is not frictionally or clampingly secured to the bumper l3 but the guard i4 is held against vertical displacement relatively to the bumper I3 by means of a pair of retainers l5 and a pair of abutments, one of which is the abutment M which is on the rod l4 and fixed against movement relatively to the guard rod M and the other of whichabutments is the nut M which is movable relatively to the uard rod [4. The retainers i5 are held between the abutments M and M and the bumper 13.

The guard I 4 is also held against lateral displacement relatively to the bumper !3 by means of the retainers l5 which extend partly over the outer face of the bumper it while the guard rod M is positioned close to the inner face of the bumper l3.

. Theperforation I5 is preferably of the section as that of the guard rod I d which in the present form is of round cross-section but such perforation I5 is enlarged at diametrically opuards M for the radiator grille protection, as

shown in Fig. 1, the two separate rods It may be formed in one piece as indicated in the inverted V-shaped grille guard l6 shown in Fig. 2 wherein the lower vertical ends are of similar construction to those of the single guard rods 14 and are provided with the same retainers l5 and abutment nuts M A modification of the inverted V- -shaped grille guard it is shown in Fig. 3 wherein the apex I! is of circular loop form to thereby increase the effective contact area of the guard and to provide a closed connection for one end of a tow rope and to enhance the artistic efiect of such grille uard.

Another modification of my guard is shown in Fig. 10 wherein the guard rod M is provided with a plurality of vertically spaced and vertically aligned abutments !8 formed by under-cutting of the rod l4 and which abutments are adapted to .'be selectively engaged by the upper face of the upper one of the retainers 19 which are of similar construction to the retainers l5 except that the perforations in these retainers may in this instance be perfectly round but the perforations in the upper retainer may be of slightly or suitably larger diameter than that of the rod [4 to thereby permit the upper retainer H! to be tilted into abutment position against the selected one of the abut-j ture, but themeans of securementof such guards onto the automobile bumper is such that these I guards, by virtue of the. positive adjustable abutmerits provided, cannot be readily displaced from their position on the bumper by vibration and that they can withstand considerable impact before even slight displacement.

I claim:

1. An automobile radiator grille or wheel fender guard adapted to be secured to a horizontal member of an automobile bumper comprising a single rigid rod of round cross-section extending above the top of said bumper horizontal member," said rod having a plurality of vertically spaced pairs of integral projections constituting spaced'upper' abutments and a lower threaded end portion carrying a nut constituting an adjustable lower abutment, a pair of vertically spaced retainers positioned to engage the upper and lower edges of the bumper horizontal member, eachof said retainers comprising a bar having an angularly bent end adapted to engage a face of said bumper member and having a horizontal portion provided with an opening therein, said opening being enlarged at spaced points of its periphery to per mit passage therethrough' of said pairs of rod projections, the upper one of said retainers be ing disposed in abutment withjone of said pairs of projections and the lower one of said retainers abutment comprising a pair of spaced laterally aligned up-set portions formed integrally with said rod and extending beyond the face of said rod and a lower vertically adjustable abutment carried on the lower end thereof, anda pairof vertically spaced retainers mounted. on ea'ch'of said rod end portions and adapted .tojengage the upper and lower edges of said bumper horizontal; member, the upper'one ,of said retainers being held against upward displacement by said upper abutment andbeing providedwith a perforation throughwhich said rod extends, said perforae tion being enlarged at spaced portions to permit,"

passage of said spaced abutment portions there--' through, and the lower one of said retainersber ing held against downward displacement by said lower adjustable abutment. f

- 3. An automobile radiator grille guard as sinbodied in claim 2,- and including screw threads on the lower end of said rod,'xand said lower abutment comprising a threadedimt mounted on the threaded rod end.

4. An automobile guard as embodied in claim 2 and including the. apex portion of said central I V-shapecl portion being looped,

5. An automobile radiator grille or wheel guard adapted to be secured to a horizontalmerri ber of an automobile bumper, comprising a single rigid rod extending above said bumper horizontal member, said rod having an upper abutment consisting of a pair of spaced laterally aligned up-set portions formed integrally with said rod and extending beyond the face of'said rod, a lower abutment mounted for relative movement at the lower end of said rod, and a pair of vertically spaced retainers positioned to engage the upper and lower edges of said bumper horizontal member, the upper one of said retainers being held against upward displacement by said upper abutment and being provided with a perforation through which said rod extends, said perforation ber of an automobile bumper, comprising a single rigid rod extending above said bumper horizontal member, said rod having screw threads at its lower end and having an upper abutment consistingof a pair of spaced laterally aligned up-set portionsformed integrally with said rod and ex-' tending beyond the face of saidrod, a lower abutment nut mounted for relative movement on said threads at the lower end of said rod, and'a pair of vertically spaced retainers positioned to en-" gage the upper and lower edges of said bumper horizontal member, the upper one of said retainers being held against upper displacement by said upper abutment and being provided with a perforation through which said rod extends, said 3 perforation being enlarged in spaced portions to permit passage of said spaced abutment portions therethrough, and the lower of said-retainers being held against downward displacement by said lower abutment nut.

MARTIN HANS. 

